Former JMC councillor urges CEC to intervene

Expressing concern over the delay in enrolling Kashmir migrants in voters' list, ex-corporator Jammu Municipal Corporation, Sheela Handoo, has requested Chief Election Commission of India to look into the matter and issue orders and instructions to the authorities concerned to expedite the process of enrolling and issuing EPICs and make it less cumbersome and complicated.

Handoo said that some bureaucrats and officers in the administration having vested interests were not doing their jobs sincerely, due to which the Kashmir migrants were finding it difficult to get them enrolled in the voters' list.

The process of issuing Elector's Photo Identity Card (EPIC) and enrolling as voters, which was started a few months back, has not been completed so far. The forms which were issued at the zonal offices of relief organisation for enrolling and issuing EPIC is still incomplete.

It is surprising that the forms for issuing EPIC and enrolling were not issued for several assembly constituencies.

The new generation is entitled for adult franchise, but unfortunately there is no proper system to enrol them as voters hence they cannot use their vote in the coming parliamentary and assembly elections, she said.

"Vote is a fundamental right of every adult citizen of India and to create any hurdles in entitlement of vote is against the spirit of the Constitution," she added.